"C-O-O-K-I-E-S" (video!) and The Best Cookie Ever (recipe!)

Hello again...

My kids are older, but the need to be silly in order to stay sane remains strong. That's true even as my oldest has now entered the teenage years with genetic-level sarcasm. And that's true especially during a pandemic (no need to explain that one if your calendar reads 2020).

Amid coronavirus-related shutdowns, all my work has come to a standstill. My writing fingers are positively twitching. So once again I find myself turning to this on-again, off-again blog.

The "C-O-O-K-I-E-S" song featured in this post has been knocking around my brain for over five years. I was pretty proud of myself when I came up with it, gotta say. I always thought I'd post it here, much like the hand-washing song (which, come to think of it, is sorta timely, even if it's more inspirational than instructional). Then the blog went on hiatus as life ebbed and flowed in other directions, and somehow making a video with a song that puts a kiddie spin on Todd Snider's "Beer Run" just didn't make the top priority slot. Go figure. But the song remained in the back of my head all that time like a true earworm, and I continued to nurture the half-baked dream of making a ridiculous video. Because, why the swearword not?

And, especially, why the swearword not now? I don't know about you, but I've been needing some epic-level stupid-silliness to outweigh the uncertainty and grief of these recent months.

Pandemic.

Protests.

Kids growing up.

Even my favorite family music artist, Caspar Babypants, announcing that he's done making albums. (In my silly daydreams, I always imagined him singing this song. And, let's be honest, when you observe the video, you will wish it was Chris Ballew singing the song too.)

I've been teaching my kids about covering coughs, washing hands, and observing physical distance rules.

I've been teaching my kids about justice, mercy, and love.

I've been teaching myself to loosen my grip on my kids, slowly but surely, to allow them to grow into their own.

But I'm also still teaching my kids, and myself, to smile -- every day, to find reason to smile.

Video time

So without further ado, I give you the world premiere of "C-O-O-K-I-E-S" in all its musical and technical glory. (I'm of the era of dancing hamsters and peanut butter jelly-loving bananas, so I'm feeling marginally OK about this product.)

Cookie time

Now that you're good and hungry, here are recipes for some of our favorite cookies:

Frosted Rhubarb Cookies from Taste of Home

Salted Oatmeal Cookies from The Washington Post's Leigh Lambert

Annnnnnd, the one our family has made more times than we can count, and thus what we now dub...

The Best Cookie Ever

from my Mom

Cream:

1/2 c butter

1/2 c creamy Skippy peanut butter

1/2 c sugar

3/4 c brown sugar

Beat in:

1 egg

1/2 tsp vanilla

Add:

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 c flour

1/2 c oats

Fold in:

1 c chocolate chips

Bake at 350 degrees F for about 10 minutes or just starting to lightly brown at edges. Cool on wire racks.

Do you have a favorite cookie recipe? Feel free to comment and share below. We can work off quarantine weight with family dance parties, hikes, gardening, and "vigorous housework."

mixed tape: bodies in motion

by Melissa

ah, cassettes. i can still summon the feeling of black plastic ridges on my fingertip as i imagine re-winding the black tape that, inevitably, came loose in my crappy tape player. i still have a Heart cassette somewhere. and remember mixed tapes? i rocked Paula Abdul on one of mine. in college, a friend made me a mixed tape of electronica—it was on a cd, but we called it a mixed tape anyway. that mix of nostalgia and habit stayed with me into the era of mp3's and Pandora. i can't get used to this whole "playlist" lingo, despite its grammatical superiority. so for this first silly = sane mix, i'm sticking with old-school—it's a mixed tape we're offering up here. on the blog, anyway. on our YouTube channel, of course, a playlist it shall forever be.

our inaugural theme is all about bodies, and not just that kiddie stuff of head, shoulders, knees and toes (although that's there too). we've got blood and guts, boys and girls. not to mention a bodily function thrown in for good measure.

find the list of songs below with links to music files (affiliate links on Amazon). head on over to the YouTube channel for the free version with our bodies in motion playlist. (parents, take care. i don't put ads on my videos, but others do and they are not always appropriate for children. most of these videos do not have ads. but some do, both overlay banners and commercials you have to click to skip. so be aware of that...)

Heywood Banks, "Hey Pancreas"

They Might Be Giants, "Bloodmobile"

Caspar Babypants, "Funny Bone" (only 50 cents on his website!)

Ralph's World, "Wiggle Your Lah-De-Dah"

Barenaked Ladies, "A Word For That"

Moey's Music Party, "I Gotta Go Potty"

Justin Roberts, "Henrietta's Hair"

Caroline and Danny, "Germ Attack!" ("Holy flu germs, Batman!"... trust me, the kids like it...)

John Hadfield, "I'm Your Brain"

Animaniacs, "Bones in the Body"
A Japanese show to apparently help children learn English: "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes"

since this is a YouTube-driven playlist, there are a few that would be on a normal mix but didn't make this particular cut. a few more songs we like in the bodily theme:

Caspar Babypants, "Them Bones" (only 50 cents on his website! no, i'm not paid to tell you this. we're just big fans!)
Ralph's World, "Finger is the Singer"
Justin Roberts, "Get Me Some Glasses"

Jack Hartmann, "The Cool Head and Shoulders, Knees & Toes"

got one to add? suggestions for our next volume? throw it in the comments!

book pick: Let's Sing a Lullaby with the Brave Cowboy

by Melissa

every family has their own sense of humor. i remember the self-conscious moment when my husband and i realized that not everyone finds "$9.99" to be the funniest kids song ever and equally hummable even when the kids are not around. in books, our humor is found in anything by Mo Willems and now, apparently, anything by Jan Thomas. i sigh with disgust every time a giant Richard Scarry book is brought forward (more on that another time), but i'll happily read about Elephant and Piggie or the Dust Bunnies over and over again (probably thanks to brevity as much as hilarity).

the latest repeat-read for us from Thomas is Let's Sing a Lullaby with the Brave Cowboy. my cowboy voice for this one is eerily spot-on to the voice provided on the website, although the tune i use is more "Rock a Bye Baby" (note: the MP3 follows the book very closely but is different). a wolf makes a "surprise" appearance at the end, and for him i've settled on a nice mixture of Huell Hoswer's The Backson with a dash of Nathan Lane's pretty-much-anything-but-this-will-do-for-the-kiddos.

are your kids afraid of shadows in their darkened bedrooms? home on the range, this cowboy isn't much different. in fact, he's not very brave at all. but he is golldurned funny. let's just say a recurring line in this book, besides the lullaby, is "Eeeeeeek!"



what about you? what authors or books strike your family's funny bone?



this post contains affiliate links.

book pick: Commander Toad

by Melissa

part of me hopes you know already of the "brave and bright, bright and brave," the preeminent Commander Toad. the greater part of me hopes you don't so that i can have the pleasure of introducing you.

Commander Toad is at the helm of Star Warts, a "lean, green" spaceship that star-hops through "deep hopper space." he is the creation of the equally preeminent Jane Yolen, one of the most prolific and talented children's authors out there (or down here). you may know her best for her How Do Dinosaurs... series, or perhaps Not All Princesses Dress in Pink, or Owl Moon, or any of the over 300 books she's authored. (did i mention she's prolific?)

there are seven Commander Toad adventures, each riddled with pun-ishing humor (the best kind, in my DNA-driven opinion. anyone else out there appreciate Pearls Before Swine?). one of the books, for example, is called Commander Toad and the Dis-Asteroid. bah-dum-ching!

the series is illustrated by the wonderful Bruce Degen, who is the author-illustrator of another favorite of ours, Jamberry. he also illustrated The Magic School Bus series of books. i love his interpretations of Yolen's descriptions.

these are exceedingly fun read-aloud books. i've endeavored to give each character a unique voice, with emphasis on the goofy aspects that get the girls giggling. we've read these enough that they now join me in proclaiming together "COMMANDER TOAD!" a'la "Pigs in Space" when appropriate (complete with trailing off, yes. we are wonderfully ridiculous readers).

in any case, i hope you have the pleasure of meeting Commander Toad and his stal-wart crew soon (snigger), or perhaps remembering your own toadally fun adventures (snigger) in deep-hopper space with the "brave and bright, bright and brave," COMMANDER TOAD!

ps... there apparently was a really horrible tv show made based off the books. i saw a clip on YouTube and had to stop it, it was so bad. it's not remotely like the books (different characters, including one made into a human, no puns, ugh!), so on the off-chance that's how you've heard of Commander Toad, do your best to forget it forever and find the books for the real story!



this post contains an affiliate link somewhere. you know. just in case.

Hand-washing song

by Melissa

Everything is easier with a song! Here's one of our favorites that (I think) we made up, to the tune of "Row, Row, Row Your Boat"...



Keep in mind this is a demonstration of the song, not of hand-washing (I'm usually helping) nor of singing (except maybe the munchkin's cute li'l voice).

Scrub, scrub, scrub our hands
Scrub them every day
Scrub, scrub, scrub our hands
Scrub the germs away
Rinse, rinse, rinse our hands
Rinse them every day
Rinse, rinse, rinse our hands
Rinse the soap away
[and then we...]
Dry, dry, dry our hands
Dry them every day
Dry, dry, dry our hands
Dry the water away!
[Yay!]

meme mommy: peanut butter jelly time

by Melissa

you know where it at, yo.

my husband and i have been having fun flashbacks introducing our girls to the one-hit wonders of our youth (and sort-of youth). because this is easy, downright ridiculous (and because it's what lazy bloggers such as myself do), i'm turning it into a new feature called "meme mommy."

this started because of the success of the song that inspired that dancing banana. we've been hearing lots of "peanutbutterjelly, peanutbutterjelly, peanutbutterjellywithabaseballbat" from our girls since i started layin' it down over an actual peanut-butter-jelly sandwich (although along with the dancing banana, i'm thinking our Mr. Rogers snack might be a good pairing as well).

the Peanut Butter Jelly Time animation came out in the early 2000s but didn't catch on right away because, believe it or not kids, smartphones (as we know them) didn't exist yet -- so things moved at a slower pace back then. but, oh boy, once it did catch on...



it went with a song by The Buckwheat Boys who had one other hit off their lone album, about cake and ice cream, which sounds remarkably like their other hit.

what memes of our era have you relived with your kids?

talking mice

by Melissa

talking dinosaurs. talking bears. talking frogs. but you know the pinnacle of anthropomorphism is the talking mouse.

there are tons of those skittering creatures out there in children's literature and film. a nice compilation is posted by Rose West, who wonders at why the mouse is so prevalent. i think she puts it beautifully when she says:

Perhaps it is vulnerability. Perhaps children, who are often unable to clearly express themselves, find similarities between themselves and these tiny animals. Perhaps these fictional mice and their ability to talk represent something to children, something like hope.

either way, now into my 30s, i'm still smitten by these whiskered protagonists. and, like doll houses and fairies, it's fun to watch my girls start to engage these pint-size joys as well. both my girls have giggling fits over the mice in Beatrix Potter's "The Tale of Two Bad Mice," thanks to BBC's animated retelling. they also have an affinity for Angelina Ballerina and Lilly.

try though i might, however, i cannot get an ounce of interest out of my 5-year-old in Ralph, Abel, Stuart, or Basil. the closest we get to boy-mouse approval is Lilly's chums: Chester, Wilson and Owen. and i think that has more to do with Lilly and a blanket that is yellow. where's the love?

i'm rushing her again, of course. she's only 5! 

i constantly find myself torn between wanting to keep my daughter little and wishing she'd jump to the next stage. 

"oh, i love this one too"
versus
"this was one of mommy's favorites when she was a little girl..."

"tell me again about your imaginary superhero"
versus
"you need to learn to tie these goldurned shoes yourself!" 

she's only 5, and yet already 5. and i keep envisioning what i want for her, rather than viewing the world from her 3-foot-10 perspective—and marveling.

there are amazing moms out there reading full-length chapter books to their kindergartners, who are ready for the next step. my big girl is still interested in picture books (preferably with pictures that are princess-like)—and that's ok. she memorizes the stories with the help of images, then plucks a book off the shelf, finds a cozy corner, and reads to herself, over and over again, page after page, time and again. what a subtle yet wonderful way to instill a love of language and story in a child.

part of the genesis of this blog was to remind myself (and other harried parents of young children) to enjoy these fleeting years. to embrace the silly. in my book-obsessed world, that also means letting go, letting go of this rush to share and slow down enough to follow my daughter's pace—in small, mouse-like steps. 

(if mice wear plastic princess pumps, that is.)

what whiskered friends do you hope to share with your young ones as they grow older? i'm keeping a running list of our favorites (and hopefully future favorites) here.

fine print: this post contains Amazon affiliate links. learn more here.

snowless snowmen: easy winter activities

let it snow! well, unless you live where we do. then, well, not so much. but fret not, fellow maritime dwellers (and those who prefer to stay warm and dry inside, thankyouverymuch). today we've got some kid-tested, slacker-mom-approved snowmen-sans-snow activities for you!

snowmen in the living room

being a snowman is
surprisingly toasty

who doesn't love to build a snowman? we sure do, even if it's a pint-sized gal. but no snow? no fret. build one in your own living room with a willing model and a white bedsheet.

first, grab some props—boots, hats, scarves, mittens. see what the kids come up with. Sweet One wanted to give her snowman a backpack. Little One thought it was the neatest thing ever to throw yellow burp rags at her snowman's feet. the key material, of course, is snow! for that, we turn to a white bedsheet (or maybe yellow if you have that sense of humor?). a fitted sheet works best, with one corner going over the head like a hood. the larger the better: our king-size sheet left plenty of room for loosely wrapping ourselves in "snow." then give your snowman some flair. the girls thought this was the funnest idea ever.

oops, she melted!

melting snowman

as a finishing activity for the bedsheet snowman, you can also act out this fun rhyme about a melting snowman. the King County Library System has an amazing online collection of fingerplays, rhymes and songs. there's even a category for holiday rhymes, which includes some Christmas and winter-related gems. one that generates some giggles, and fits our theme, is I'm A Little Snowman. i'm including their YouTube demonstration, but see their original webpage for some nice variations on the words. (i like a blend of the two versions, substituting a carrot for the broomstick.)

to save you some digging, here are a couple other winter rhymes from the collection:
Ring Those Bells
We're Going on a Santa Hunt

cotton ball snowmen


looking for an activity that focuses on more fine-motor skills? me neither. looking for a craft that will keep the kiddos busy for five freaking seconds and may even draw you in? ok, then! i had a huge bag of cotton balls that i haven't drawn from in two years or so. hm, they look like snow! we started (and continue to enjoy) a cotton ball-snowball fight (or ten). then we lumped them together into bigger balls for some floppy snowmen. we glued a couple cotton balls onto green-paper trees for some easy Christmas cards. and now we're eyeing our growing stockpile of upcycle-worthy thingamabobbers to create our own snow model Christmas town (where their cottonball snowmen look a bit more put together than our slackers).

and to get in the mood...

see our favorite story about snowmen (what do they do at night?) and enjoy this video of caspar babypants' "i wanna be a snowman."

book pick: Z is for Moose

A is for apple. B is for ball. C is for cat. D is for ... Moose?! oh, Moose. that risible extant species of the deer family is breaking up the carefully crafted choreography of a much-anticipated new book about the ABCs. director Zebra is close to losing his patience with his friend until he finds a genius solution (as a good director is wont to do). and the result is Z Is for Moose by first-time picture book author Kelly Bingham, illustrated by the preeminent Paul O. Zelinsky.

5 things to do with... bubbles

bubbles are such a simple pleasure which – like their cardboard-box cousins – might be why they're so good at eliciting smiles. here are five ideas for extending the fun:

1 make your own. if you don't already do this, start today. after my daughter spilled bubble solution on the ground for the umpteenth time, i decided enough was enough. there are plenty of recipes online; this recipe is a simple one that we've used in the past and uses a common bubble strengthener: sugar. other strengtheners include corn syrup and glycerin. however, you can quite successfully use just soap and water, which is what we do. simply cover the bottom of a bubble blower bottle with liquid dish soap (Palmolive works for us), add water, shake it up to mix, and bada-bing-bada-bubble, baby. works every time.

how to put your kids in a bubble

this was an activity on our summer bucket list, one of the surprise activities i slipped in there for the girls. it took a short time to get the proportions and technique just right, and it was pretty darn cool once we got the hang of it. when i first heard about this idea, i had images in my head of my daughter floating into the sky, encased in a gigantic balloon-like bubble. it's not nearly that dramatic. but this is a fun summer outdoor activity, nonetheless. ... and we've done some of the trial-and-error for you!

book pick: Take Me Out of the Bathtub

these "silly dilly songs" are anthems for the harried American family, the one for which late-night tv, messy rooms, stinky diapers and general mayhem are the rule rather than the exception. Take Me Out of the Bathtub and Other Silly Dilly Songs is by Alan Katz, whose online introduction alone is hilarious:

When a six-year old boy thinks like a grown man, they call him a child prodigy.

But what’s the best way to describe a grown man who thinks like a six-year old boy?

That’s the problem my wife faces every time she has to introduce me.

Hi, I'm Alan Katz

to get us started

in the world of kids' music, nobody does silly (that parents can tolerate) like caspar babypants (aka chris ballew of the presidents of the united states of america).



a teenage fan did this video tribute to "robin on a wire," proving that silly doesn't necessarily expire with zits.